SurvivingSara

Tag: family

  • Parent is Also a Verb 8/28/22

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    Sara Z
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    One of the most important gifts a parent can bestow upon their child is resilience. Over the decades since the 1970’s, the message regarding the significance of self-esteem has certainly been taken to heart by many parents, and it is important, but some of the ways people go about strengthening a child’s self-esteem result in…

  • A New Porpoise & a Bit of Rambling

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    Sara Z
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    “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of others” – Charles Dickens Puzzling recently about my purpose in life, established in the mid two oughts. [I still don’t know how to address the first decade of our century. The 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s in writing but what about when one is…

  • Parent is Also a Verb 8/13/22

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    Sara Z
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    Oh, but it goes so fast! Enjoy time with your little kids now. Before you know it, they’ll be grown and gone. You’ll miss these days later. And on & on & on. At a big box store about 20 years ago, my two boys, ages two and three, sat side-by-side laughing together as they…

  • Spitting Nails

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    Sara Z
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    *Cursing ahead. When our bathroom remodels were merely a plan, I was assured my bathroom would be done first. Both the basement and en suite bathrooms were taken down to the studs at the same time. My tiles hadn’t come in for the shower and backsplash, so the tile guys began downstairs. The installation of…

  • WARNING: Loud Ahead

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    Sara Z
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    I was watching a video on YouTube of a symposium on decreasing stress and increasing peace in life. There were a couple of professors whose presentations I paid minimal attention while concurrently writing, tweeting, or playing games. Then an expert was introduced who surprised me. Here in the heart of academia was a Hindu guru…

  • Dream a Little Dream

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    Sara Z
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    Detailed, emotional dreams play in my night theater. Frequently, the plays have a theme, one to another night to night for a few days. No matter the characters or plot involved, I don’t quite belong. Sometimes I’m keeping a secret that would result in loss of esteem were it exposed. Other times. I skirt the…

  • Parent is Also a Verb 7/29/22

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    Sara Z
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    Do you want your children to always be honest with you? Do you, or will you, tell them that they can discuss anything with you, that your home is a safe place to share difficult situations? Be careful what you ask for. At bedtime, when our kids were young, I’d sing a ditty of my…

  • I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet

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    Sara Z
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    In 2021, our younger son, let’s call him Bob, was living with us while he went to school and worked. Late in the year, I’m not sure which came first, the older son, let’s call him Joe, asking to move back in after a couple years piy on his own or Bob announcing he was…

  • Do You Remember Me?

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    Sara Z
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    To my sons, There was a time I was active. We went on hikes after school, even though you couldn’t figure out “Why do we have to do this?” Watching out front when you went out to play in order to intercept fights with neighbors or general mischief. I did yardwork while you rode bikes…

  • 45+3

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    Sara Z
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    My mother-in-law sold her house, pending appraisal, less than a week after putting it on the market. There’s a 45-day escrow plus three days for moving. She’ll be relocating to our home immediately after Labor Day. The plan that was drawn up after the death of her husband in January is coming to fruition imminently.…

  • A New Loo!

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    Sara Z
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    Fortunate to have three bathrooms, we are currently remodeling two. The primary bedroom has a three-quarter bath, while the daylight basement has a full one. The only lavatory not taken down to the studs is the full guest bath upstairs. For now, one of our adult sons lives in the downstairs but, so proud to…

  • Ramble Gamble

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    Sara Z
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    Rambling posts are a collection of thoughts I have that don’t warrant a post of their own. I also include personal life circumstances, usually near the end. Do you speak your mind? Are there folks with whom you avoid voicing your opinions? Is it a risk to share your thoughts? I find I keep many…

  • Parent is Also a Verb 6/30/22

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    Sara Z
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    Dedicated to my late dad on his birthday. My sons were both encouraged to sign up for sports and other interests they thought might be interesting. The older one preferred to achieve his personal best in track and cross-country, while the younger enjoyed competing on a team, including basketball and baseball. In the early years,…

  • Parent is Also a Verb 6/19/22

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    Sara Z
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    Happy Father’s Day! When my babies were very young and we lived in a cozy starter house, my husband parked his work van in the alley behind our yard at the end of his work day. More than once, I stood watching out the kitchen window, calling my husband on his cell phone when he…

  • Warriors

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    Sara Z
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    During the seven years I was living in the Mojave desert, the northern most reaches of Los Angeles County, the round trip back home each summer had become routine. In my early 20’s, I drove on I-5, the major north-south freeway on the west coast, avoiding two-lane highways that may cut drive time but would…

  • Rambling On

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    Sara Z
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    Hello, there! Here’s one of those posts where I share some random thoughts and ideas that do not warrant posts of their own. The process of moving my mother-in-law into our home continues. My husband is headed to her place for ten days, completing final preparations before it goes on the market. Yes, that’s right.…

  • Lil’ Old Ladies

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    Sara Z
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    You’ve seen a senior woman and thought, “Did she look in the mirror when she put on that makeup? Does she know what she looks like? Can’t she see the clumpy mascara, messy bright blue eyeshadow, and too thick eyeliner? Why is her lipstick covering more face than her lips?” I am here to explain…

  • Color Me Pleasant

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    Sara Z
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    Having received a brief litany of my current state of fibromyalgia (frustratingly reluctant to improve), my husband grew quiet and then began, “It’s so weird. It seemed like when you had a broken leg…” his voice fading. “What? When I had a broken leg, what?” “I don’t know how to describe it. When it was…

  • Overdone

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    Sara Z
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    Do you overdo it sometimes? What do you overdo? Drinking alcohol, weed, or food? Time in your own imagined life, away from the daily grind? Running, biking, or tennis? Makeup, shopping, or handbags with their own bags? Writing? Gaming? My physical therapist fears I’ll overdo activities on my newly surgically-repaired ankle. It’s healed but I…

  • Deep in the Lilacs

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    Sara Z
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    My hometown is known as the Lilac City. The pretty bushes can be spotted all around the area in purples, pinks, and white. Each year in May, the main event of the Lilac Festival is the nighttime Armed Forces Torchlight parade. It really is beautiful with floats and bands lit up in creative ways. Another…